Dark Expectations
by howlingokami
Summary: I may look like your typical troubled teen with love problems and all that, but I'm not. If anyone had asked me a year ago where I imagined I'd be when I turned seventeen, I would have never said I'd be attending Whitehurst academy; the number one place in the world where being supernatural is normal and having an obsessive stalker isn't considered unusual. Yep this is me, Sage.
1. Prologue

_PROLOGUE_

A common quote I've heard being passed around in my lifetime is 'Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.' This was once said by a famous painter called R.I Fitzhenry... But I am not the sort of person to follow this, no matter how many of my friends used to repeat this quote to me. Uncertainty and mystery are the two things I tend to hate most, nothing could change that; or so I thought. "Dear Sage, you really should not let uncertainty block your perspective" My Aunt Amelia used to tell me this so many times, I am still yet to heed her advice. I have been told numerous times about how kind, caring and truly delicate I am, delicate as the plant I was named after; Sage. A year ago I would have never thought my whole life could be turned upside down by one person, that my delicate heart could be crushed so unruly. No one would have ever thought something like this could happen to someone like me.

They say it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, but this pain in my chest is too much for me. I feel as though there is a gigantic hole in my heart in the place where I had once held my mother close. _Why had I allowed my father to drive her to work this morning? _I had known he was still intoxicated from last night's party, an assassination that had in fact been successful. I can't quite name a time when I was truly proud of my Father, perhaps it was that one day when he had shown up at school for parent's week. Mother hadn't been able to come, I was going to be lonely for the entire day of school; surely Father would be too busy for me... I had clearly been wrong, for he had shown up with a huge smile on his face and he had scooped me up off my chair as I was sitting at my desk alone. I'm certain that was the only time he had ever smiled at _me_ in my life. Had it not been for that one day, I may have never believed it if someone had a told me that my Father actually did have a heart hidden somewhere underneath. I can never explain, even to myself, why I had let him take her away from me. I can feel guilt coming off in waves as my vision blurs and all I can see is a worried face staring directly into my eyes. Suddenly everything is whirling out of control and I can't think properly, grief tears at my heart and I feel a sticky wetness sliding down my cheek.

"Are you okay?" Everything is still so confusing, I don't know who said that and I can't remember where I am anymore. I close my eyes shut tight and put my head close to my knees, hoping, praying that this was just a very bad dream and that I would wake up any minute now. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I immediately sit up straight and grab the hand without thinking.

"Oh Mother, I thought you were gone!" the hand feels strangely cold and wrinkly under my own, this couldn't be her hand... It doesn't feel right. My eyes open to see a small wrinkly hand on my shoulder and I jump in shock, trying to push the hand off my shoulder. This is all wrong, this can't be happening! But its not, and it is.

"She... She is gone isn't she?" I ask the receptionist, every word coming out in a struggle. Memory is finally coming back to me, I was at school when a student had come into the classroom to tell me there was some family issues going on and I had to go to the school office as soon as possible. When I had gotten there, I had been told the worst thing any child could hear; my Mother was dead.

"I'm very sorry dear... Would you like me to call a family member to take you home?" the office lady sounds very concerned, but I shake my head slowly knowing I can walk home by myself. _Besides, I have no other family members _I chuckle hysterically to myself, the lady looked surprise, not understanding why I found this so funny.

"Are you su-"

I cut her off by standing up and turning my back away from her, and then realizing I may have seemed rude, I dip my head politely to her. Then I push my way out the door and find myself running home, school bag hitting my lower back with every step I take. I feel sick to my stomach and know I'm obviously not thinking straight anymore, but I don't care. As I run home I can't stop thinking horrible thoughts, because I know there's nothing at home waiting for me. Every day I used to come home, knowing Mother would be there smiling at me, waiting patiently for me to talk to her about how my day was. Not anymore. Images and memories flash through my mind, but I keep running although I can scarcely see where I am heading through my warm and sticky tears. Accidently, I misjudge the distance over a small crack in the pavement and I stumble onto the ground. A burning sensation runs through my left leg and I look down at it with sore eyes, it is scraped and bleeding but I don't care. I try to stand, but I am unable to move. It feels like my legs are frozen in place. For a while I sit curled up on the pavement with my arms wrapped around my leg, lost in thought. _What is waiting for me back home? A crazy Father who killed Mother? An empty place on the bed where Mother once slept? A chance to successfully starve to death because Father never cooks? _The answer to all my questions is simple; there is nothing back home but hell. As if on cue, the moment I thought that, my legs unfroze and I climbed more confidently to my feet now and continued running home.

The gate to the front yard of the house swings open as I push on it gently, and then proceed to wander over to the front door of the house. On my way in I catch a slight glimpse of a large oak tree in the front yard; a makeshift tire swing was tied to one of its branches. Mother and I had planted that tree together, we had watched it grow and once it was big enough we had made that swing to play in. I shut my eyes, reveling in the memory of us playing on the swing; I used to pretend that I could fly while Mother had tried to pull me down from the sky. My eyes open as the door does, and I take in the scene; it seems surreal. It's as though I am seeing this house in a whole new light, and I am easily tossing seventeen years' worth of memories in the trash. Carelessly I go into my bedroom, knowing Father isn't home and probably won't be until later. Gently, I put my school bag down on the bed; it is a fluffy purple backpack with soft and fluffy pom poms coming off the zipper. Then I remove all my school books and place them on my simple pink and white wooden desk, knowing I don't need them where I'm going. My bag is soon filled with a few sheets off my bed, my Swiss army knife, my sketchbook and couple of pencils, only important objects. I grab the strap of my bag and carefully walk downstairs and into the kitchen, stuffing it with a bunch of foods such as trail mix, fruit, some health bars and a bag of chips to satisfy my sweet tooth from the pantry and a 2 liter bottle of water, from the refrigerator. _Time to go I guess, _I think as I hoist my bag up onto my shoulders.

"Goodbye Mother…" I whisper into the air on my way out the door. A shine in the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I twirl around to see a mirror right beside the door. _Strange, I don't even remember that being there_ I think inwardly as I stare at this strange person in the mirror. I can barely believe that it's me in the reflection. This girl with the dark brown curled hair which looked wild and untamed in comparison to how I usually keep it, light blue green eyes which looked slightly puffy and swollen from crying earlier on and my usually cream coloured face looked red and splotchy. I hardly recognize myself, but I know that somewhere underneath this sad face that it really is me. Then I stop half way through the door, and almost slap myself for being so stupid; money! There is no way I am ever going to get to Whitehurst without that. Feeling slightly guilty, I rush back inside and tear through my Father's drawers upstairs in his bedroom until I find his stash. He usually keeps it in this drawer, locked up in a small safe; which he once told me the code to, in case of emergencies; and this is an emergency.

_SLAM_

I hear the sound of a car door closing outside and start to panic, I know its Father. Quickly closing the drawer and stuffing the money into my bag, I race to the back door as fast as I can without looking back to see if he had seen me. I can only hope he was still in the front yard, or scrambling with his keys at the front door. I sneak outside and quietly close the glass backdoor behind me and make a run for it to the back fence, there's a road and footpath right on the other side of it I know. I'm about to climb over the fence when I hear the front door slam and hear a cat screech beside me due to the loud noise. The sound of the cat makes my eyes tear up. I had almost forgotten Holly, my Mother's cat that she had gotten 4 years ago; she was a black cat with a white belly and muzzle. Tentatively I scoop her up from the ground beside me where she had been watching me and carry her over the fence in one singular motion. Now I crouch with relief beside the fence; a smile of freedom spreads across my face as I hug Holly close to my chest and scan the street; I am free and I am going to Whitehurst tonight. Mother had told me about her old school in Whitehurst… The only part that troubles me is that she said she met Father there. I cast a quick glance at the sky and realize it must be about 3pm already, I had to get moving or I'd miss the train.

A storm of anxiety flutters in my chest but I try my best to ignore it. I am Sage, and I will make sure to keep everyone safe this time round. This is my beginning, this is my story and this is my freedom. I can only hope it lasts.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I arrive at the station in Whitehurst feeling oddly at ease; it had been a rough trip to get here and took almost 2 full days and one and a half nights. On the second day on the train there had been a massive storm which made the whole train shudder and I had thought I was going to die. I had finally fallen asleep that afternoon when the storm died down and woken up when the train had come to an abrupt halt in the middle of the night. I had arrived at Whitehurst at last, and although the train fair hadn't proved too costly, I still didn't exactly have enough money to stay here for long. I'd have to find shelter, and fast.

And that's why I'm here now, crouching in an abandoned house I had found in a dimly lit street; not far from the train station. It's dark in here, no lighting. Electricity seemed to be becoming a thing of the past to me though; I couldn't care less about not having a mobile phone or television. However, I still need something to cook food with or I'm not going to last long. I lower my bag onto the ground and pull out an energy bar and munch on it as I search the house. It is oddly cold in here, considering it is the middle of summer. I can't help but wonder why this is. I come back to where I left my bag on the ground and pick it up once more after searching. The house has a fully functioning kitchen, maybe a little dusty but it would do. The oven and stove both thrive on wood fire, and the refrigerator was simply a box that looked like a cooler; it would need ice to function. Then there are the bedrooms, only two of them, one has a large double bed with the mattress torn and moldy while the other has just one small bed, it seems newer than the larger bed. I decide to stay in that bedroom instead. The house is basically just one small square with rooms cornered off by doors, there was a living room beside the kitchen with torn couches that appeared to have stuffing falling out of it like a torn up animal, then there was the bathroom; which was moldy and dusty as if it hadn't been used in decades, which I'm sure it hadn't. I'm certainly not going to be the first to use it either. I pass the kitchen door to get to my bedroom and go in for the second time. I toss my bag onto the white bed, an eerie smell wafts up my nose. It smells like a rotten egg, it is terrible. My hands reach out to touch the bed, with my head pulled away from it. There is a lump underneath the dusty cover. I close my eyes as I pull the covers back and only open them to see what the lump is. A dead rat, it looks freshly killed. _This is strange _I think to myself, _but maybe it was just Holly… She likes chasing mice._ Picking up the rat by its tail, I find myself walking to the kitchen. Hoping there is a bin in there somewhere, and I am right; there is. Curiosity pricks at my mind and my hand hovers to the tap in the sink. The stench on my hands is terrible and it would be a great load off my shoulders to be able to wash it off. The tap turns and a liquid trickles out, I can feel the colour draining from my face as I stare at the crimson liquid. I am horrified. My eyes quickly close and I fight the urge to scream out. When I open them again, the blood flowing out from the tap is gone; replaced with clear water. I nearly choke, had I just imagined that? I stare in disbelief at the water, then slowly, cautiously, put my hands under it and washed them.

_Where has Holly gotten to?_ I ask myself as I leave the kitchen. The memory of the rat slowly crawls back into my mind and I wonder if it was Holly who killed it, or something else… I shake my head to clear the thought away.

"Holly?" my voice echoes quietly through the house and I shudder, the voice croaked back at me didn't sound at all like that of my own. An ear splitting screech pierces through my ears. Holly! My legs are shaky as I follow the noise. Then I see her; fur puffed out like she had gone rabid, lips curled up revealing white glossy teeth, and eyes that are blazingly green in the darkness. Something has disturbed her, a lot. I watch her with fear clawing at my belly, her eyes seem to be locked onto something. I follow her intense stare and see what she is staring at.

A wall. That's all it is, why is she so mad at a wall? I scoop Holly up in my arms and stroke her fur to soothe her.

"It's alright Holly… It's just a wall" I know cats have exemplary instincts, but I can't bring myself to believe that there was more to that wall that what met the eye. As I turn away to go back to my bedroom and sleep, I notice something in the corner of my eye. It is faint, but I know it's a figure of a person. My legs collapse beneath me and Holly tumbles out of my arms, everything goes black.

_I find myself standing in the middle of a dark house, my legs seem to be glued to the ground and I cannot move my arms. Worry spreads through my body as I wonder where I am and how I got here. _

"_How dare you" a sharp, low voice pierces my ears "How dare you break into my house, what gives you the right?" I can't see who it is that is talking to me, but I know that whoever it is; they're mad, very mad._

"_Sorry?" my voice comes out in a whisper, my breath seems to be trapped inside me._

"_Head this warning, Child. Do not meddle with the dark, do not become one with the darkness" the voice seems to hesitate, then goes on "You do not belong here. Leave while you still can" I see the figure of a man in front of me and I run towards him, my legs unsticking and I am able to move once more. _

"_What do you mean?" I shout, my words come out sharper than I had ever spoken before. This startled me. I catch a glimpse of shining dark blonde hair, a pale face, and two eyes; both shockingly blue. The eyes flash red and I jump back with panic, screaming as I begin to fall down a deep, dark and never ending black hole._

I can feel consciousness spreading through my body. My eyes feel sticky, as though I had been asleep for days. _How long have_ _I been lying here? Where am I? _I pry my eyes open and look around. I'm on my feet almost instantly, nearly throwing Holly a couple of feet in the air. _This is the house from my dream_, I think inwardly, _so that means… _My eyes flick around the house, searching for the blonde haired dark figure. Realizing he isn't here, I let my guard down and allow myself some time to think. Who is was he? What did he want? And most importantly, what should I do now?

I don't remember how long I had been asleep for that night, but I do know that I left the house the very next morning in search of a new place to shelter in. As painstakingly clear as it was, I knew I was not wanted in that other house. I didn't know where I'd go, I had no money to rent a house or a hotel room. So instead, I found myself wandering the streets. Searching for the one place where I was almost certain I would be accepted. Whitehurst Boarding School; this was where my Mother had attended, and where her Mother had attended, and where her Mother's Mother had attended… You get the point, right?

There is only one problem; I have absolutely no idea where the boarding school is. The most Mother had ever told me about the school was that it was located in Whitehurst. My legs are starting to ache from all this walking, I'm sure I've walked around the entire town twice. I've had no luck. The sun is setting and I still haven't found it, if I don't find it by night time I'll have to sleep out on the streets; which is extremely dangerous, as I don't know the area very well and someone could come and hurt me. Or Holly might run off. Holly, she is stuffed inside my backpack at the moment. I'm sure that she's tired of wandering around in circles like a headless chicken too. It's getting dark; the school just _has _to be around here somewhere. My legs are so tired that they almost collapse beneath me with every step I take; maybe I could just take a break somewhere. I cast my eyes around in search of a good, well hidden place. There isn't any. This appears to be one of the busiest streets; it's possible that the school could be close to here. I force my tired, jelly legs to continue walking. _We just have to find the school, _I keep telling myself in my mind. Suddenly I hear a noise in my head, it's very faint, but I heard it.

_Sage? Sage, can you hear me?_

The voice sounds familiar but I can't figure out who it belongs to. It sounds concerned, but I don't know how to reply.

_Sage? Say something if you can hear me already!_

I shake my head, I don't know how. This is so bizarre, what is going on?

_Just think what you want to say to me… Please Sage?_

I shrug my shoulders, not knowing exactly what the voice means by that; but I give it a go anyway.

_Who are you? _

I try my best to say that to the voice with my mind, I wonder if it worked.

_That's not important. What is important is that you get somewhere safe before nightfall._

I feel my eyes stretch wide with shock, whoever this is, they really care about me. I feel very confused but I still try my best to communicate.

_I need to get to Whitehurst boarding school, can you help me?_

There is a pause, as though the voice was thinking. Then I got a sharp reply.

_Yes, I can; but what I have to do now is dangerous for you, okay?_

I gulp, dangerous? What's that supposed to mean? I figure quietly that if it will help me find Whitehurst in time, it must be worth it.

_Okay._ I reply quietly, and then I am plunged into darkness.

"Sage?" there is that voice again, so concerned and weary. Once again I find myself wondering who it is. I slowly start to open my eyes and all I see around me is dark, pitch black surrounding me, and I realize that I am lying on some sort of ground. Even though I can't see to be sure there actually is a ground beneath me. My muscles feel as if they haven't been used in weeks as I struggle to a sitting position. I still can't see anything.

"Who's there?" I call out into the pitch blackness, unsure if anyone is there or if anyone can even hear me. There is no answer, but I can now feel some sort of presence beside me. My hand instinctively goes to feel the air around me to find them, and in response I hear a loud stomping noise that seemed to echo around the blackness. Whoever it is, they don't want to be discovered. They quite obviously jumped back to avoid me. I open my mouth to ask once more who it is, only to feel a rough hand over my mouth. For a while I just sit in shock, staring blankly into the darkness. I didn't try to speak again, and I didn't try to move the hand. The hand pushes my head to one side and I feel another hand go to my shoulder. I can't even tell if my eyes are open or closed anymore. Everything feels so unreal. Then I find myself being pushed back down into a lying position, with the hands still on my mouth and shoulder. A message flitters to my mind, and I know it's from whoever is pinning me down right now.

_Don't be afraid, this is the only way I can help you._

Strangely, I realize that I'm not afraid. After all this, I feel as calm as my Mother used to be; no matter how horrible Father was to her. A sharp pain goes into my neck as I feel two sharp pricks, and then a liquid is flowing down. It feels warm against my bare skin. His lips are pressed warmly to my neck and I can tell he is sucking the blood up. Yet I still feel calm. I had heard and read so many stories about vampires, but I had never actually believed very much in their existence at all. Father always used to tell me they were as real as day and night, still I had not believed him. But then again, there was a lot of things I never believed about Father. As I feel the blood being drawn from me, I start to feel little jolts of electricity and everything goes white. A movie seems to play in my mind, and for the first time since I've been here; I feel startled. The movie shows all of Whitehurst, the roads, the streets, everything. It looked as if a geographer himself had put this together, but I know better than that. Obviously whoever this guy is, he sent it to me. I simply assume he's lived here a very long time, longer than I can imagine. Something catches my attention in the film; Whitehurst Boarding School! It was showing me the directions there. I try with all of my heart to make sure I remember the way there. My heart is flooded with relief. _I know where it is, and I will have to run to get there before nightfall_. As I think this, my vision goes black again, but not the same type of blackness. I can tell I am awake now and not in that strange world I had with that guy.

I open my eyes expecting to see the sun still in the sky, setting even. I had not expected to see the moon out already, but there it is; glittering in the sky surrounded by millions of little stars. I realize I'm lying on a lawn and not the footpath I had been walking on when I passed out. _Strange, how did I get here? _I get to my feet, picking up my backpack with Holly in it from beside me, and twirl around to see a house; it is the same house I had stayed in last night. Memory floods to my mind as I realize who that guy was. He was the same guy that sent me away from this house earlier today!

A battle of indecisiveness goes on inside me as I hesitate at the door. If he had sent me away, isn't it far too dangerous to return? But then again, it seems he must've brought me here himself. Seeing as I must have been miles away when I passed out. I take a deep breath and as I turn the door handle and let myself in, I expect to see his taunting face glaring into mine. Instead, I was greeted with a lovely sight. The whole house appears to have been tidied up for me, there is not a speck of dust to be seen anywhere. Curious, I walk into the bedrooms and see that the mattresses have been cleaned up too. I smile inwardly, feeling satisfied. Maybe he was finally accepting me here, or maybe he just decided to do some spring cleaning in the middle of summer. I put my bag down on the small bed that I had slept on last night and let Holly out. She does not look very pleased with me at all, her fur is standing on end and her eyes are blazing the same way they had last night. I stroke her face gently, soothing her. Reassuring her by telling her that it's all going to be okay, that tomorrow they'd find the boarding school and she'd be well taken care of. I say this mainly to reassure Holly, but partly to reassure myself. I pull out a bag of trail mix and start munching on it, tossing Holly a couple of bits of dried fruit and oats from it as well. Then I rest my head on the pillow and settle down to a deep sleep with Holly curled up beside me, feeling totally safe.

I wake up with my head feeling blocked and stuffy. So I sit up and hold my hands close to my head, it feels like an extremely bad headache. I groan with pain, and then I notice Holly on the corner of the bed eyeing me with a look of curiosity. I push the pain to the back of my mind, trying my best to ignore it and pat Holly's soft black and white fur gently. I strongly dislike it when Holly gives me those looks; they seem too human to come from a cat. My fluffy bag is on the floor next to the bed, sunlight is falling onto it from the window. So I get off the bed and leave Holly to sit alone, and then reach into my backpack. There's no food in it anymore. I couldn't have possibly eaten it all! I think back to all I've had to eat in the past two days; A bag of trail mix and an apple on the train, an energy bar on my first day here and the second bag of trail mix last night. I start to panic for the first time here, I should have packed more. However, I didn't think I'd be stuck sleeping in an abandoned house… I thought I would have been at the school by now. Memory flickers into my mind like a butterfly on a spring day; I had to get to the school. My eyes close as I try to remember the directions that the blonde haired guy showed me last night. I open my eyes, pick up my bag and stuff Holly into it once more. I know exactly where to go now.

It had been quite a long walk, but we are finally here. The school is a marvelous pale white colour; I assume it was once a bright white and has lost its colour over the years. Mother once told me that Whitehurst Academy is over 200 years old. I stare at it with curiosity, such a beautiful building. You could tell it took a long time to build because of all the fine carved details on the walls and mosaics artwork on some windows. Most of the windows have a black frame with details that look like flowers, bending, curving, and growing across the window. As I stand at the gate with the same patterns as the window, I gaze at it. The gate was obviously once a white colour too, but was painted black a long time ago. The walls connected to the gate stretch all around the entire school like a barrier, the walls are the same fading white colour as the building itself. For a moment I wonder how to open the gate; there doesn't seem to be a lock on it. Then a memory flashes into my mind and I remember what the blonde guy had shown me. The gate only opens from the inside; I will have to wait until someone else needs to come out. Who knows how long that might take? I sigh and slump against the brick wall beside the gate and lay my bag in front of me. I decide to let Holly out for some air. Holly climbs out of the bag and ruffles her fur indignantly, she still doesn't look happy with me. I wonder how long it will take for me to earn her trust back. I lean my head back against the wall and put my hand to my neck to try and soothe the stiffness of it. I feel a slight bump under my hand, almost like a scar; two small bumps. I fumble with my bag to find my compact mirror then hold it up to my neck. There I see two small scars; it looks almost like a snake bite. But I know the truth behind the scar; a vampire had given this to me.

Holly is searching the area around the gate; she seems to know the school from somewhere. _Strange_, I think as I watch her brush her body up against the gate. I stare open mouthed with horror, as all in one smooth motion she jumps over the fence. I hear a faint thud and know she landed safely on the other side, and then hear a faint clanking sound as though gears are being turned inside the gate. A second later the gate doors swing open and reveal Holly sitting neatly on the other side, gazing up at me. _Now this is what I call strange, _if I hadn't known any better I would have said Holly had done this numerous times before. I've never known of a cat that could open a gate like that.

I walk over to her and grab her face, staring into her eyes searchingly. Trying to find any sign of knowledge in her eyes, but I find nothing. I decide not to put her inside my bag this time, no matter how strange it seems I think it may prove useful to let her guide the way.

Before the actual entrance into the building, there is a large courtyard filled with plants of all sorts and right in the middle of the yard is a large, white water feature. There is a stone footpath leading from the gate to the main entrance, I decide to follow it. When I get inside the building I am shocked by its beauty, it looks so beautiful and antique. Like one of those mansions you see in the movies, but this is real. It has beautiful polished marble floors and glittering white stairs. Its walls are brown and well kept. The only strange thing is that there seems to be no electricity, little torches lit by fire were strung across the walls to light the stairs and other rooms where the light from windows couldn't reach. Right in the middle of the room is a massive stair case that winded all the way to the roof, personally I don't think I'd like to try and walk up those every day. Then I almost slap myself, realizing that if I do get into this school I would _have _to walk up those all the time. These people who attend this school must be extremely fit to manage those.

Holly is already walking off, heading left. I wonder where she's going for a second, and then decide to follow her because I can't just let her wonder off. I might lose her in a huge place like this. I break into a sprint as Holly starts to speed up, winding through endless amounts of corridors, staircases and rooms. After a while I start to forget where the entrance was, all I can focus on is following the black blur of fur. When at last she stops outside a light brown door with black markings painted on it, I wonder which room this is. I hesitate, not knowing whether I should open it or not. Holly is scratching at the wood trying to open it. I remember wanting her to trust me, maybe I just have to trust her this time. The black handle is cold under my hand; I try to open it which only leads to no avail. It's locked. _I'll have to try and knock…_ This is something I really wanted to avoid doing; if I knock on it whoever is in there will know for _sure _that I'm here. I glance one last time at Holly before knocking on the wooden door. There is a moment of silence before it finally opens and a young lady with long wavy blonde hair stands in front of me. Her blue eyes narrow and turn amber red and I gulp, unable to move a muscle. I'm trapped.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Who are you?" Her eyes are sharp as an eagle; I can tell she's searching me. For a moment I'm frozen in place and I can't think of anything to say. Holly huddles close to my legs and starts hissing at the girl and I tap her lightly with my foot to get her to stop.

"I'm Sage" I finally manage to say. Curiosity flickers in her eyes as she leans against the door frame cooly.

"Last name?" her eyebrows are raised and she looks interested.

"Lydia, Sage Lydia" I add, dipping my head slightly out of nervousness "And you are?"

She doesn't answer; she just stares at me with wide eyes. The redness in her irises has faded and her face looks pale, but maybe she is just naturally pale. I repeat the question to her, louder this time in case she hadn't heard.

"Storm" She says flicking her blonde hair back over her shoulder "You don't go here do you? You should go to the head mistresses office if you're looking to enroll" Her eyes look hysterical, and a low and eerie laughter bursts out from her.

"Where is her office?" I ask, ignoring her laughter. Though quietly I wonder what she's finding so funny. Storms face seems to tense up and the laughter stops immediately.

"You're serious?" one of her eye brows rise up and a look of disbelief spreads across her face "Look, kid, its dangerous here. You should just go" but I shake my head, refusing to leave. Holly's fur bristles up; looking like she agrees with me. _We aren't going anywhere; we have nowhere else to go anyway._

"Please, could you just tell me where it is?" I ask quietly for the second time. I can tell I must sound desperate but I don't care, I just have to get into this school. Storm seems to think for a moment then lets out a noise a bit like a sigh.

"Oh, fine. Its right back down that corridor, go up the first flight of stairs you see down there and go up to the second floor. It's the first door on your left" when I open my mouth about to ask how I'll know which door is the right one she cuts me off "Trust me, you'll know it when you see it" then the door closes in my face and I can hear the sound of springs in the bed as she sits back down on it. I pick Holly up again, not wanting her to go walk about the school again, but I don't put her in my bag this time. I don't want to annoy her any further. Then I head off in the direction Storm had told me about.

I soon see what she meant when she said I'd know it when I see it. The door is absolutely _massive _in comparison to all the other doors and this one is a dark mahogany brown with very intricate markings on it which looked like some ancient handwriting in a different language. Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door, dreading whatever might be on the other side.

2


End file.
